News Briefs

Above Property® Services (APS®), Services, a provider of hotel and travel technology solutions provider, announced that it has reached a significant milestone with the launch of its 100th interface. The company's robust suite of property management system (PMS) integrations now includes connections to most major hotel technology suppliers.

"We are thrilled to have reached this milestone and to be able to offer our clients such a wide range of valuable interfaces," said Aaron Shepherd, CEO of APS. "While we are a significant technology stack - it is about connecting people with the things they want/need - rooms, transfers, event tickets, etc. Our team has worked tirelessly to develop and maintain these connections, and we are proud to be able to offer our clients the flexibility and choice they need to run their businesses effectively."

The company's interfaces allow hotels to seamlessly connect their APS PMS with a range of other systems, including payment processing, point of sale, supply and demand generation, in-room entertainment, and guest engagement platforms. These integrations enable hotels to streamline operations, improve their guest experience, and increase revenue. Some of the APS Integration partners include:

• Shift4 – Payments
• M3 – Accounting
• Assa Abloy - Locks
• Hopper – Supply
• Toast - POS
• Shift4 – Payments
• Expedia – Supply
• Sonifi – In-Room Entertainment
• Revinate - Content
• DerbySoft – Demand

"We're thrilled to partner with APS to provide their clients with a best-in-class payment processing solution," said Natasha Cooke, Partner Director at Shift4. "Our payment processing technology is designed to be fast, secure, and reliable. Our advanced 2-way connectivity will enable APS to offer its clients advanced security features, such as tokenization and point-to-point encryption, to help protect against fraud and data breaches."

Above Property Services has been at the forefront of hotel technology innovation for over a decade, providing hotels with cutting-edge solutions designed to optimize their operations and improve their bottom line. The company's commitment to excellence has earned it a reputation as a trusted partner for hotels of all sizes and types.

With the launch of its 100th interface, Above Property Services is poised to continue its growth and expansion in the hotel technology space. The company is committed to staying at the forefront of innovation and providing its clients with the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive industry.

“Providing easy and direct access of the daily revenue data into M3, the hospitality industry’s #1 accounting and financial reporting platform, eliminates the need to switch between different systems, miminizing the risk of having incorrect data make its way into the accounting platform,” says Scott Watson, Chief Sales Officer at M3, “This provides hoteliers with a comprehensive view of their property’s financial performance, allowing them to make informed decisions and optimize their operations.”

The plethora of interfaces are now available to all APS customers, providing a more comprehensive and efficient way to manage their properties. With these best-in-class technology partnerships, hoteliers can streamline their processes, increase efficiency, and optimize their operations, allowing them to focus on what they do best - providing exceptional guest experiences.

Shiji, a global hospitality technology innovator, has partnered with IPORT, an award-winning manufacturer known for enhancing the usability of iPads and iPhones, to introduce an all-in-one software solution for hotel restaurants. This collaboration will provide hoteliers with a seamless combination of a tablet and payment device to maximize their F&B operations.

The integrated iOS and payment device solution simplifies guest service for hotel restaurant servers, providing them with an effortless tool to cater to their guests' needs. As a certified Apple partner, Shiji and IPORT guarantee exceptional performance and reliability. Hoteliers can choose from multiple device options, including iPad Pro, iPad Mini, and iPhone, ensuring flexibility and compatibility with their operations.

“IPORT products are built around modularity and flexibility that empower our hospitality customers to do more with the iOS platform. We are thrilled to partner with a leading iPad and iPhone cloud PMS and POS platform provider like Shiji,” said Chris Lawson, Head of Partnerships, IPORT. “We look forward to innovating with Shiji in disrupting legacy, monolithic providers who have limited the industry from harnessing the power of iOS and mobility. The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless with IPORT, iOS, and Shiji.”

"The partnership with IPORT is a significant milestone for Shiji in our commitment to provide innovative technology solutions for the hospitality industry," said Ryan King, Senior Vice President of Shiji in the Americas. "By combining our expertise with IPORT’s hardware solutions, we empower hoteliers to streamline restaurant operations and deliver exceptional guest experiences. This collaboration represents another step forward in our dedication to driving success in the Americas, and globally."

The tablet and payment device solution seamlessly integrates with multiple payment gateways, allowing hoteliers to choose the system that best suits their needs. By simplifying the payment process, it reduces operational complexities, minimizes errors, and saves valuable time and resources for hoteliers.

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings is doing away with its automated phone answering system. From now on, customers will have a real person at the restaurant taking calls for their orders. 

"Our guests have told us loud and clear that they want to speak with a human when placing orders," said Carl Bachmann, Chief Executive Officer of BurgerFi. "Technology is critical for innovation, but AI for guest service was not providing an exceptional experience for our guests. Becky – our AI – has been removed. It's time for her to go, so we're saying ciao, baby! We want our guests to know we welcome them back – and their calls!"

As the rest of the world moves toward AI, Anthony's, owned by BurgerFi International Inc., is keeping it real and priority is doing what's best for the guest. The company will no longer use an automated answering system and instead will have humans operating their phones. Customers will get to chat with a live person instead of an AI. "Everyone at Anthony's must be serving a guest or someone who is," said Bachmann." It must be a win for the guests, a win for the team members and a win for our stakeholders."

 

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store  introduces Cracker Barrel Rewards. Members of the unique program can earn Pegs (like points) through restaurant or retail purchases and redeem them for rewards.

Plus, members can enjoy more of what they love from Cracker Barrel with Birthday, Anniversary and Surprise Bonus Rewards, and one-of-a-kind digital experiences just for being a member.

Earn Pegs toward Rewards

The program is inspired by Cracker Barrel's iconic and beloved peg game. Members earn Pegs on qualifying purchases made at all Cracker Barrel locations, on CrackerBarrel.com and in the Cracker Barrel app for every dollar spent, including to-go, delivery, catering and retail merchandise.^* The program is free and easy to join, and members receive a complimentary Barrel Bite appetizer just for signing up. To enroll, guests can visit any Cracker Barrel location nationwide, the Cracker Barrel app or CrackerBarrel.com.

Starting Sept. 25 and through Nov. 6, Tims Credit Card holders can get up to $10 back on transit fares every Monday when they use their card to tap onto a transit system that accepts Metrolinx's Presto contactless payment.

"We're so excited to be partnering with Metrolinx and some of the largest public transit systems in Ontario to give Tims Credit Card holders the opportunity to save money on their transit fares every Monday for a limited time," said Markus Sturm, Senior Vice President of Financial Services and Digital at Tim Hortons.

Loyalty Pays

Fans can apply for the Tims Credit Card through the Tim Hortons app and once approved, immediately can  their card to Apple Pay or Google Pay and be ready to get up to $10 off on transit fares on their Monday commute with this offer.

• 78% of customers want to receive discounts from a restaurant’s or hotel's loyalty program, according to, according to HTs 12^th annual 2023 Customer Engagement Technology Study.

Cardholders can also earn 5 Tims Rewards Points per dollar spent on their transit purchases. Points can be redeemed for more free coffee, beverages and food at Tim Hortons restaurants as a way to help fuel their Monday commutes.

Mews, a hospitality cloud, released the Mews Data Snap, a real-time measure of hospitality’s performance during the summer of 2023 (June, July, and August). The report also compares this year’s data to summer 2022 to pinpoint how the hospitality sector is changing.

Based on data from Mews partners worldwide, the Mews Data Snap unpacks hospitality’s performance across five key areas: occupancy, ADR and RevPar, online check-ins and upsells, and additional bookable spaces. 

For the North American market in particular, key findings include:

• Travel continues to move in a positive trend: average occupancy for summer 2023 was 62%, up 5% YOY. June was the best-performing month, while August saw the highest percentage of rooms occupied.
• Increased rates didn’t deter consumers from traveling this summer: ADR and RevPAR saw clear, positive movement despite little change in occupancy. ADR rose 9% YOY ($25) to an average of $294, in part due to inflation among other factors. RevPAR saw a significant increase of 14% YOY ($22) to $178, including on average $30 higher in June YOY. 
• Travelers continue to embrace the convenience and instant gratification of online check-in and upgrades: while the number of guests utilizing online check-in remained relatively the same YOY (nearly 20%), more guests upgraded their reservations via online check-in, as upselling increased 31% YOY to $51 per upgrade. Top upgrades include early check-in, pet fees, late check-out, breakfast, and drinks or food upon arrival. 
• Non-room revenue is proving to be an excellent diversification strategy: nearly 20% of hotels in North America are selling additional bookable spaces to day guests and visitors (such as parking lots and meeting rooms), a 69% increase YOY, with average revenue generated per space increasing 22% YOY (an average of $362 extra per reservation). Monthly additional bookable service revenue more than doubled YOY. 

“It’s easy to talk about hospitality trends based on what we feel is happening, but there’s no substitute for real data,” said Matt Welle, Mews CEO. “Not only can we see that people continue to return to travel, but the data shows that hoteliers are embracing the idea of hybrid hospitality and a more creative use of spaces and reaping the rewards.”

To get the full picture of this summer’s performance across Mews hotel partners worldwide, download the Mews Data Snap: Summer 2023.